same place - different feeling

As I walked from Prata Shop to Eusoff Hall, my mind kept jumping to my first year. I looked at the square on which it was written "A2" and recalled how when I was freshman, I was standing on the 2nd floor of A block and having a hard time memorizing the easy route to Prata and to terminal. I walked towards the stairs and I recalled how I met Priya for the first time there. She's Indonesian, but Indian by race, so I was surprised that after she asked me where the bus stop was, she started speaking Indonesian :)

This morning I met Timothy on 151 and he was surprised that I kept staying in A block. He told me that A block is a freshmen block now. There are only 4 seniors on A4 and actually I also didn't see many seniors around. Last week I met a Vietnamese girl in the kitchen and she thought I was freshie (I didn't try to hide my excitement, I screamed, "YEAYY!!" happily in front of her).

It's the same Eusoff Hall, with red bricks and brown door (thankfully not grey like Temasek's :P). I also can't believe that I've been staying in Eusoff for 3 years! When I see the foyer, I still remember how I met many people there because of Rag, especially because Tony found me wandering around foyer and introduced me to other Raggers.

Last week I went to Penang, Bangkok, and Pattaya with my best friends. It was my third time in Bangkok, but the feeling was different. I guess it was because this is my first time travelling with Nic, Pril, and Nyz. It wasn't a smooth sailing journey even though we are best friends, we did have disagreement, we did feel tired and moody (esp. the first night, thanks to me who booked a hotel that couldn't be found by the taxi driver!! =.= ), but the overall feeling was GREAT!! We jumped, we laughed, we talked, we took lots of photos, we counted expenses together, and on the last day we hugged each other in circle like Teletubbies :P It was totally a different feeling compared with when I travelled alone in May 2010 or when I visited Bangkok with Thai Painting class in Feb this year. I won't say which one is better, I do still enjoy travelling alone, but among many experiences travelling with other people, I strongly believe that WHO your companions are is an IMPORTANT matter. I don't think I could enjoy 22 hours ride from Bangkok to Butterworth with my fellow interns in Haryana. It's nothing personal, just that 22 hours ride with people whom you know well (four us have known each other since primary 4) and people whom you've just met (I only talk to my fellow interns in Haryana once or twice before we left Singapore) is just..... different..

I guess that's why I'm not worried of going back again, again, and again to Bangkok (or Thailand in general). That's why me and my family never feel bored of going back again, again, and again to Puncak (a mountainous area in Indo) every year coz every time we come back to the same place, there'll be a different feeling. Each person who travels there has grown up, so even if you travel with the same person, there'll be different things to be laughed at and different conflicts too, or if you go to the same place but with different persons, well, obviously there's a different feeling.

As much as I enjoy travelling alone, I really love my Penang-Bangkok-Pattaya journey with my best friends. Somehow three months away from Singapore also makes me more aware with little changes on this land, eg the price of Nasi Lemak in Prata is $3.00 now, there's a writing "Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences" in shocking pink and green in front of AS5, Buona Vista MRT has changed too, and so on and so forth.

but still there was a question in my mind. Last night, on the way back from Airport, I was thinking something like, "50% of my soul is left in Indo, 25% in India and 25% in Thailand. How can I survive for four more years in Singapore?" However, I encouraged myself with the thought of my thesis and commencement next year. I also encouraged myself with the thought of how Singapore has given me so many good memories, especially with the people that I will never meet if I don't come here, and how the people have influenced me in various areas till I can say that I'm growing up.

Thank you, Lord :)

This three-month experience was just sooo beautiful.. You've helped me to get to know myself and my friends through this journey and You've also given me lots of chances to get closer to You in this 3 months.

Thank you, Mother Mary :):)